1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates generally to furniture devices, and more particularly, to wall mounted furniture, for usage with computers, books, electronic devices, desk items and audio visual equipment.
2. Description of Related Art
Historically, electronic equipment was, and still largely is, located and stored on some type of shelving system, console, or stand for convenient operation and use. For example, a home entertainment center (or stereo console) is a piece of furniture seen in many homes, which houses major electronic items, such as a television set, a VCR and/or DVD player, stereo components (such as an AM/FM tuner, multi-disc compact disc changer, record player, one or more cassette players, and graphic equalizer), and cable or satellite television receivers. These electronics typically require some type of cords, cables and/or wires (which are generally referred to herein as cables) either interconnected between the electronics or connected to an electrical outlet. Typically though, the electronics are spatially separated such that these wires are on top of the furniture and are easily viewable and visually unappealing. In the alternative, large entertainment centers and stands were used to house all the electronics and hide the wires. However, such entertainment centers and stands were often very bulky taking up a lot of excess space and greatly contrasted with the appearance of the wall.
The commonality of flat panel televisions and computer monitors has substantially reduced the need for these large pieces of furniture. Furthermore, these flat panel televisions are very thin in comparison to the older, conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) or projection televisions, making them suitable for wall-mounting. As a result, smaller pieces of furniture can be utilized to house the remaining electronics.
Wall-mounting televisions, however, have problems of their own. While flat panel televisions are much smaller than conventional CRT televisions, they are still very heavy. Thus, flat panel televisions are typically mounted to steel braces which are in turn mounted to wall studs with large screws. Because the flat panel television is mounted to the wall, it is separated from the outlet and the other interconnected electronics (e.g., cable box, DVR player, surround system, etc.). Generally, the components, therefore, lack an efficient wire management system. Thus, visually unappealing exposed wires often run from the flat panel televisions to the outlet and the associated electronics and simply hang or dangle along the wall. While cables can be run through walls to avoid the unsightly mess, this can often require more construction expertise and cost to carry out compared to simply installing the television and mount.
Over the years the home office has also transformed from elaborate desks and bookcases to a more simplistic arrangement usually comprising of a computer, a few electronic devices and a few reference books. Like the audio-video equipment discussed above, it is common for electronic items located on a desk to be stored in plain sight for ease of use. The electronic devices housed on a desk often need cords to provide, power and interconnection between such devices and/or related peripherals. These cables are often considered unsightly and have a tendency to become tangled with other cables thereby creating a frustrating user experience. Additionally, the user often has a need to disconnect some of the cables; for instance, to take a laptop charger for travel.
Existing furniture for computer use are generally of two types. The first is a solid standalone unit with an accompanying hutch spaced above the desk and mounted to a wall to support the weight of the hutch. The second is a desk-hutch combination with a solid rear section connecting the hutch to the desk portion. Generally, neither of the two types include a cord management arrangement that conceals cables, or power stripes, except by simply hiding them under the desk on the floor and providing holes for cables to pass through the desk. Certain structures may include built in power outlets or power strips, but these systems do not provide for management of cables, they merely build in the cabling.
Some desk configurations include a hutch mounted and secured to a wall. Such mounting generally comprises installation by using bolts (or other fasteners) attached to the studs of the wall, or anchors such as a toggle bolt, either way, creating unsightly holes in the wall. Further, the mounting must be very secure as such hutches are often very heavy and the load is borne entirely by the wall. Electronic devices that require cables to extend between the two components can also generally not be mounted on both desk elements without unsightly cable connections.
Portable electronic devices such as laptop computers, tablets, e-readers, smartphones, cell phones, monitors, printers, headphones, smartwatches, fitness trackers, and related devices/peripherals also generally require charging and/or a wired connection to other items at certain times. Primarily this is when they are not being transported by their owner. Exposed charging and connection cables are unsightly and are usually left in an exposed arrangement for a variety of reasons including the physical construction of a desk which does not allow for cables to run from one section to another and so they can be easily accessed. Modifications to a piece of furniture to run such cabling would irreversibly change the furniture. Furthermore, transformers (i.e. “power blocks”) such as those commonly used in a laptop charging cables and a number of computer peripherals such as, but not limited to, printers are often difficult to maneuver and often do not allow the user to utilize the existing holes in the desk (if present), as they need to be on one side of the hole or the other, and generally cannot be suspended in the air due to their weight.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a desk and other furniture that can support common desk items by being attached to a wall to provide a reduced footprint and that can also house cables in a concealed arrangement while simultaneously allowing the user relatively easy access to such cables.